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Millionaire pie stops people at the dessert table whenever I bring it out. It’s creamy, cool, sweet and a little tangy, with pineapple and cherries up front and coconut and pecans for crunch. With the cherries and Cool Whip on top, it’s as pretty as it is easy.
Summer parties, potlucks and holidays are where my millionaire pie shows up, because I can make it ahead and it never has to go in the oven. It’s also a fun one for Thanksgiving, since it’s completely different from the usual pumpkin and pecan pies.
I add a little cream cheese to the filling, which most recipes for this pie leave out. It gives you a firmer, creamier filling without turning it into a cheesecake, and it keeps the whole pie from tasting overly sweet.
If you love this fruity, creamy kind of dessert, my ambrosia salad has the same pineapple, cherries and coconut in a bowl. You’ll find plenty more ideas in my roundup of easy no bake pies.
MAKE AHEAD
I Make It the Night Before and Garnish It at the Party
I can have this whole pie done the day before a party. It needs plenty of time in the fridge to set anyway, so when I’m making it ahead, I let it chill overnight, and it’s even better that way.
When it’s time to go, I travel with it well chilled and covered and leave the topping off. Once I’m ready to serve it, the Cool Whip dollops and cherries go on top, and it’s ready for the dessert table.
What Is Millionaire Pie?
Millionaire pie is a no-bake dessert made with a creamy filling, pineapple, coconut, pecans and cherries in a graham cracker crust. It’s also sometimes called million dollar pie. The name is generally used to describe its rich, over-the-top combination of ingredients rather than anything fancy about making it.
The Ingredients That Hold It Together
- Cream cheese: I use block-style cream cheese and let it soften to room temperature first, so it beats up light and fluffy with no lumps before anything else goes in the bowl. When I tested this pie without cream cheese, the filling set noticeably softer.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice is what helps the filling set. The amount in the recipe is as low as I could go and still get a good set, and it doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
- Maraschino cherries and a little of their juice: I save a spoonful of the juice from the jar before I pat the cherries dry. It adds just enough sweetness to balance the lemon and gives the filling a light pink color without turning the whole pie pink.
- Pineapple, coconut and pecans: I keep these in every time, along with the cherries, because they’re part of what gives the filling its texture and structure. I haven’t tested this pie with any of them left out, so I can’t tell you it works without them.
- Cool Whip: One container is all you need. Half gets folded into the filling and the other half goes on top when you serve it, so none of it goes to waste.
How to Make Millionaire Pie
Step 1: Beat the Cream Cheese Base Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer for a minute or two, until it’s light and fluffy. Then mix in the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice on low until it’s smooth.
Step 2: Stir In the Fruit and Nuts Add the drained pineapple, coconut, pecans, chopped cherries and the reserved cherry juice, and stir with a rubber spatula until everything is evenly mixed. Fold in half of the Cool Whip until you don’t see any white streaks.
Step 3: Fill the Crust and Chill Spread the filling into the graham cracker crust and smooth the top into an even layer. Flip the crust’s plastic cover over, use it as a lid and chill the pie for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Step 4: Garnish and Slice When you’re ready to serve, pipe dollops of the remaining Cool Whip on top and finish with stemmed cherries, chopped pecans and toasted coconut. Every bit of the garnish is optional, and the recipe card has my quick way to toast the coconut.
Storing and Freezing
Keep leftover millionaire pie covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing is a great option if you want to make it further ahead. Freeze the pie well covered, before you add the garnish, for up to 2 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before you serve it, and know that the texture can change a little after freezing.
More No-Bake Pie Recipes
- No Bake Chocolate Pudding Pie
- Layered Jello Pie
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Easy No-Bake Ice Cream Pie
- Oreo Pie Recipe
Millionaire Pie
Ingredients
Pie
- 1 9-inch premade graham cracker crust
- 4 ounces block-style cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 20-ounces can crushed pineapple (in 100% juice) very well drained
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans plus more for optional garnish
- ½ cup maraschino cherries drained (1 tablespoon cherry juice reserved), chopped, and patted dry with a paper towel
- 1 8-ounces container Cool Whip whipped topping thawed and divided (4 ounces for the filling, 4 ounces for optional garnish)
Optional Garnishes
- Lightly toasted sweetened shredded coconut
- Chopped pecans
- Cool Whip whipped topping
- Maraschino cherries with stems
Instructions
- Remove the plastic cover from the premade graham cracker crust and set aside. Reserve the cover for chilling and storing the pie.1 9-inch premade graham cracker crust
- Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed using a handheld mixer in a large bowl for 1 to 2 minutes, or until light, fluffy and no lumps remain.4 ounces block-style cream cheese
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice to the bowl of cream cheese. Mix on low speed until well combined.1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Add the pineapple, coconut, pecans, chopped cherries and reserved cherry juice. Stir together using a rubber spatula until all the ingredients are evenly combined.1 20-ounces can crushed pineapple (in 100% juice), 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- Fold in 4 ounces of the thawed Cool Whip until no white streaks remain.0.5 8-ounces container cool whip whipped topping
- Transfer the pie filling to the graham cracker crust, smoothing the top into an even layer.
- Refrigerate the pie for a minimum of 4 hours (up to overnight), or until fully chilled and set. The longer your pie chills, the cleaner the slices will be. You can flip over the reserved plastic cover from the premade pie crust and use it as a lid while the pie chills in the refrigerator.
- Once fully chilled and set, garnish with toasted coconut, chopped pecans, dollops of the remaining 4 ounces of Cool Whip (placed into a large piping bag with the tip cut off), and stemmed maraschino cherries placed into the center of the Cool Whip dollops, if desired. If adding the cherries, pat them dry well with a paper towel before adding them. Garnish when you are ready to slice and serve.½ cup chopped pecans, ½ cup maraschino cherries, Lightly toasted sweetened shredded coconut, Chopped pecans, Cool Whip whipped topping, Maraschino cherries with stems, 0.5 8-ounces container cool whip whipped topping
Jenn’s Notes
- I press as much liquid out of the crushed pineapple as I can. Extra juice waters down the filling, and then the pie won’t hold its structure when it chills and slices.
- I soften the cream cheese to room temperature so it beats completely smooth with no lumps.
- For even firmer slices, I put the fully chilled pie in the freezer for up to 1 hour before serving.
- To toast coconut for the top, I cook about ¼ cup of sweetened shredded coconut in a small skillet over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t burn.
- I keep the pineapple, coconut, pecans and cherries in every time. They’re part of what gives the filling its texture and structure, and I haven’t tested this pie with any of them left out.
